Door-controlling device



L. C. NORTON.

000B CONTROLLING oEvicE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.8. 1919.

1,385,389. PatentedJuly 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET.

I l l l L. C. NORTON.

DUUR CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED uma. 1919.

1,385,389, Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STA'lW LEWIS C. NORTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS i?rENT OFFICE,

, ASSIGNOR TO NORTON DOOR CHECK COM- DOOR-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS C. NORTON a citizen of the United States,residing at Chi.- cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented newand useful Improvements in Door- Controlling Devices,of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to door controlling devices. More specifically itrelates to door controlling devices in which means are provided forautomatically closing the door when opened, for automatically holdingthe door open after it has been opened to a certain predeterminedextent, and for automatically closing the door when it is held Open, incase of fire.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide such a constructionwhich will be eliicient and reliable in operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a construction inwhich the means which are normally used for holding the door in Openposition are used in case of fire to assist 1n` closin the door.

Further objects wi appear from the detailed description to follow andfrom the appended claims.

In the drawings in which an embodiment of my invention is shown- Figurelis a plan view showing a door controlling construction applied to adoor;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a spring housing;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section throughthe spring housing shown in Fig. 3;and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the parts in theposition they assume in case of fire.

I will outline briefly the main features of the construction shown,before giving a detailed description.

The construction shown comprises a mechanism for closing a door,including a spring actuated arm l0 mounted on the door 11, and

`a link 12 pivotally connected to the arm 1() at one end, and pivotallyconnected at the other end to the door frame 13, and afmechanism forholdingr the door in open position comprising a spring pressed arm 14,mount- Specification of Letters Patent.4

Application led December 8, 1919. Serial No. 343,337.

Patented July 2o, 1921.

ed on the door frame, a link `15 having a pivotal connection at 16 withthe arm 14, and having a lost motion connection at 17 with the arm 12,and a fusible link 18 pivotally connected to the link 15 at 19, andpivotally connected to the link 12 at 20.

In the normal operation of the door, the fusible link 18 serves toconnect the link 15 with the arm 12. When, however, the link 18 isfused, the link 15 which has the lost motion connection at 17 with thearm 12, serves to connect the arm 12 with the arm 14.

The spring tensions acting on the arms 10 and 14, are so adjusted, Yandthe arms and links are so proportioned, that on opening the door, duringthe initial part of the opening, the arms 14 and 10 will both exert adoor closing effect (that is, tending to resist opening of `the door)and such that after a certain point in the Opening of the door has beenpassed, the arm 14 will exert a door Opening effect, while the arm 10still continues to exert a door closing effect. The door closing effectof the arm 10, however, is greater than the door opening effect of thearm 14, until just before the final extreme Open position of the door isreached, when the door Opening effect of the arm 14 becomes greater thanthe door closing effect of the arm 10 and the door is thus held in openposition.

If now the door is held in open position and a fire occurs, and the link18 is fused, the door is temporarily released from the door openingeffect of the arm 14, and im mediately starts to close under theinfluence of the door closing arm 10. However, the arm 12 is notentirely free from connection with the arm 14 as ithas a lost motionconnection with this arm at 17 through the link 15. Therefore, when thislost motiony is taken up, the arm 14 again comes into action, and exertsa force tending initially to resist closing of the door. However, thedoor has acquired considerable momentum by the time this lost motion istaken up, and the relative location of the links and levers is such thatthe door closing effect exerted by the arm 10 is sufficient to continuethe closing movement of the door. Thereafter, in the closing movement ofthe door, a point is used at which the effect of the spring pressed arm14 changes from a force tending to hold the door open to a force tendingto hold the door closed, so that at the final closing movement of thedoor, both of the spring pressed arms and 14 are exerting a forcetending to close the door. This double effectis very desirable in easeof fire,

as there may be a strong draft in case of fire as seen in Figs.V 1 and5. The action of the yrious links and levers. Y "the construction andoperation when vthe spring pressedv arm may be further controlled by a.dashpot construction inclosed in the casing 23 in any usual or suitablemanner. -The armV 12 may, as is usual, be made in 'two telescopicsections, adjustably held by means of a set screw 24.

The arm 14is mounted on a shaft `or pin 25: (Figs' and 4) which pin 25is subject tothe action of a coil torsion spring 26, so that the normaltendencyof the arm 14 is to rotate in a clockwise direction as seen inFigs. 1 and 5. The movement of the arm 14 .under the action of 4thespring 26 is limited by mea-ns of an adjustable stop 27 Ymounted forsliding adjustment on the link V.15, .this stop engaging the edge of thearm 14 asY shown in Fig. 1, to limit the movement vofthe arm 14.

The :lost motion connection 17 between the link 1-5 :and the arm 12comprises a pin 28 mounted ony the arm 12, which pin engages ina slot 29in the arm 15.

The fusible link 18V is made in two sep- :arable sections united at 30by a fusible element which fuses under the influence of the heat, vandpermits the parts to separate as indicatedV at Fig. 5. In order that thefusible link 1'8'may not be subjected to unduestrain a slight lostmotion connection is'provided at 31 between the fusible link and the arm12, so that the link 8O will not be subjected to the shock which wouldresult if it had to receive the strain of suddenly stopping the door11when they adjustable stopY 27 engages the arm 14. A This lostA motionYconnection at k81* permits the door to' move alittle after the stop 27is engaged with' the arm 14, so that the full strain doesnot come on thefusible link.

Y i I will now point out some, advantageous arrangements andconstructions `of the va Considering first fusible link 18 is intactasshown in Fig. 1,

the `arrangement is such that when the door is closed, both of thespring'y pressed arms14 -and* 10, are `exerting a force tendingtoVkei-1p the door closed. This has an advantage inthat it gives apositive closing movement to the doei', preventing any uncertainty as towhether or not the door will be closed. The arm 14 exerts acomparatively powerful closing eflect when the door is closed, even whenthe fusible link 18 is intact, due to the positions of the arms 10 and12 and the line of pull between the pivotal peints 16 and 20.

As the door is opened, there is a point at which the force exerted bythe arm 14 changes fiom a force tending to close the door to a forcetending to open the door. This critical point is the point at which thepivotal point 21 passes a line connecting the pivotal point 32 of thedoor 1l, and the pivotal point 33 of the connection between the arms 10and 12. This door opening effect of the arm 14 continues to increase asthe door opens farther due te the change in the angle between the arm1() and the door 1l and also due to the change in the effective leverarm of the arm 14. This effective lever arm is the perpendiculardistance. from the pivotal point of the arm 14 to a line connecting thcpivotal points 1G and 20.

I/Vlien the door is moved te its final open position as shown in. Fig.1, this effective lever arm is verv short` as the line of pull between1G and 2f) approaches close to the pivotal point 25 of the arm 14. T hisresults in a very powerful action of the arm 14, sufficient to hold thedoor in its final open position against the door closing effect of thearm 10.

' I will now point out certain advantageous features of the constructionand operation. in ease the fusible link 18 is disconnected as shown inFig. 5.

. The first effect of the fusing of this link is to permit the door 11to start to close under the action of the spring pressed arm 10. Thisclosing movement continues until pin 18 has moved along in the slot 20to the outer end of thc slot. Thereafter, further closing movement ofthe door is influenced by the spring pressed arm 14. However, the lineof pull between the spring pressed arm 14 and the arm 12 is differentafter the link 18 is fused from what it was before this link was fused.The line of pull is farther from the axis of the arm 14 so that theholding effect of the arm 14 is less, or to put it the other way about,the pullexerted by the arm 12 on the link 15 has a greater leverage onthe arm 14 after the link 18 is fused than it had before. Furthermore,in addition to the more advantageous line of pull, the door 11 hasgained considerable momentum by the time the pin 428 has reached the endof the slot 29, and this momentum together with the more advantageousline of pull, is

ample to continue the closing movement of the door.

At a certain point in the closing movement of the door, the effect ofthe spring pressed llt) arm 14 changes from the force tending to holdthe door open, to a force tending to hold it closed. This critical pointis the same as the point previously mentioned in the opening movement ofthe door, to wit, the point when the pivotal point 21 passes the lineconnecting the pivotal points 32 and 33. From this point on, in the`closing movement of the door, the arm 14 works with the arm 10 inclosing the door. This `closing effect of the arm 14 increases rapidly,

on account of the change in the effective lever arm of the arm 14, andalso on account of the change in the angle between the arm 10 and thedoor 11.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the door is closed, as indicated in dottedlines, the effective lever arm of the arm 14, which is the perpendicularline from the pivotal point 25 to the line connecting the pivotal points16 and 28, is comparatively short, sothat the line of pull is veryadvantageous for exerting a powerful pull on the pin 28.

The springs for the arms 1() and 14 may each be provided with a ratchetadjustment for getting the desired tension in the springs. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: i y

1. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, andheat-controlled means whereby in case of fire, said second mechanism releases the door to permit it to close under the action of said firstmechanism, and whereby said second mechanism will assist said firstmechanism in the final closing movement of the door.

2. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, andmeans whereby in case of fire,

said second mechanism releases the door to permit it to close under theaction of said first mechanism, `and whereby said second mechanism willassist said first mechanism said second mechanism releases the door to ipermit it to close `under the action of said first mechanism, andwhereby said second mechanism will assist said first mechanism in thefinal closing movement of the door, said second mechanism having a lostmotion connection with `said first mechanism.

4. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, andmeans whereby in` case of fire, said second mechanism releases the doorto permit it to close under the action of said first mechanism, andwhereby said second mechanism will assist said first mechanism in theiinal closing movement of the door, said second mechanism including afusible link connecting it with said first mechanism.

5. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, andmeans whereby in case of fire, said second mechanism releases the doortopermit it to close under the action oi said rst mechanism, and wherebysaid second mechanism will assist said first mechanism in the finalclosing movement of the door, said second mechanism including a fusiblelink connecting it with said first mechanism, and having also a lostmotion connection with said first mechanism.

6. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the `door open when the door isopen and which tends to hold the door closedwhen the d oor is closed,and means whereby in case of fire, said second mechanism releases thedoor to permit it to close under the action of said first mechanism, andwhereby said. second .mechanism will assist said first mechanism in thelinal closing movement of the door, said second mechanism comprising apivoted arm, `and a fusible link connecting said arm with said firstmechanism. i

7. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, aSecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, andmeans whereby in case of fire, said second mechanism releases the doorto permit it to close under the action of said first mechanism, andwhereby said second mechanism will assist said iirst mechanism in thefinal closing movement of the door, said first mechanism comprising apivoted arm, and a link pivoted to said arm and having a lost motionconnection with said iirst mechanism.

8. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends first mechanism,l andL whereby said second mechanismwill assist said first mechanism inthe final closing-movement of thedoor,

saidsecond mechanism comprising va pivoted arm, a fusible linkconnecting said arm with said first mechanism, .and a second link havinga pivotalconnection with said arm, .and having a lost motion connectionwith said ,first 1 mechanism.

9. The combination of a door, a mechanismv tending to closethe door, a;second mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the doorzisopenand which tends to hold' the doorv closed when the door is closed,and means whereby in case of fire, said second mechanism releases thedoor to permit it to close under theraction of said first mechanism, andwhereby said` second mechanism will assist said first mechanism in thefinale-losing movement ofy the door, said 'secondi mechanism comprisinga .fusible link having a lost motionconnection with said firstmechanism.

10. The combination of 4a doorga mechanism tending to close thedoor, asecond mechanism which tends tohold the door open when the door isopen'and which tends to hold the door Vclosed when the door is closed,and` means whereby in case'of fire, said lsecond mechanism releases thedoor to permit it to close under the action of said first mechanism,-andf whereby said second mechanism will assist said first mechanism Vinthe final closing move-menti of the door,

saidv second mechanism comprising a Vpivoted arm', and a fusiblelinkhaving a: connection with saidE arm and a pivotal connection withsaldxfirstmechamsm, anda second link having a pivotall connection withsaid arm, and'alost motion connection with -saidpfirst mechanism, thepivotalpoint.y of

connectionl of said fusible link withsaidfi'rst mechanism being spacedfrom the-lost moytionconnection of said second ,linkwith said firstmechanism', wherebylwhen said fusible link melts the line ofconnection.V between vsaid first mechanismand saidV second'mechanismwill-be changed. Y Y

11. Thecombination of a door-f, a mechanism tending to close ther` door,a second V'mechanism' which tends to hold the door said first mechanismcomprising anarm pivotallyfmounted on. the door and a second arm mountedto swing about a fixed axis, said second arm being pivotally connectedwithsaidfirst arm.

12. The combination ofl a door, a mechanism tending'to close the doorand a second mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the dooris open and which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed,said second mechanism comprising a pivoted arm and a link pivotedthereto, and means whereby in case of fire, said second mechanismreleases the door to permit it to close under the action of said firstmechanism, said link having a lost motion connection with said firstmechanism, whereby the effective lever arm of said pivoted arm becomesshortened to give a powerful final closing movement to thedoor.

13. The; combination of a door, a mechanism tending to-close the doorand a second mechanism which tends to hold the door open'when the dooris open and which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed,said second mechanism comprising a pivoted arm, a link pivoted thereto,and means whereby in case of fire, saidsecond mechanism releases thedoor to permitit to close under' the action of said first mechanism,said linkhaving a lostniotion connection with said first mechanismwhereby the effective lever arm of said pivoted arm becomes, shortenedto give a powerful final closing movement to the door, and an adjustablestop on said link to govern the effective lever arm ofsaid pivoted arm.

14. The combination of a door, a mechanism tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends toV hold the door closed when the door is closed, said'second mechanism comprising a pivoted arm, a link pivoted thereto, andto said first mechanism whereby when said door is opened, the effectivelever arm of said pivoted arm becomes shortened to give a powerful finalopening movement of said door, and an adjustable stop on said link togovern the effective leverrv arm of said pivoted arm.

15. The combination of a door, a mechanismv tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends to hold the door open when the door is openand which tends to hold the door closed when the door is closed, saidsecond mechanism comprising a pivoted arm, a link pivoted thereto, andto said first mechanism whereby when the door is opened, the effectivelever arm of said pivoted arm becomes shortened to give a powerful finalopening movement of said door, and an adjustable stop to govern theeffective lever'farm of said pivoted arm.

16. The combination of a door, a mechanish tending to close the door, asecond mechanism which tends t0 hold the door lll) open when the door isopen and which tends powerful final opening movement of said to hold thedoor closed when the door is door, and a stop to overn the effectivelever closed, said second mechanism comprising a arm of said pivote arm.10 pivoted arm, a link pivoted thereto, and to In witness whereof, Ihave hereunto sub- 5 said rst mechanism whereby when the door scribed myname.

is opened, the effective lever arm of said pivoted arm becomes shortenedto give a. LEWIS C. NORTON.

